CHIRP
Chirp systems use acoustic energy to enable high-resolution mapping of sediments beneath the surface of the ocean floor.
Chirp ready for deep water tow.
Illustration of how a seismic system works. The Chirp is a type of seismic system. This illustration was borrowed from the U.S. Geological Survey’s Sea Floor Mapping Group in Wood Hole, MA.
Chirp imagery
Chirp imagery was collected aboard the NOAA Ship R/V Nancy Foster in cooperation with Gray’s Reef National Marine Sactuary (George Sedberry), South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and funded through NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration. This image shows parallel tracklines and at the far right perpendicular tie lines that are helpful during interpretation. The top edge of the images mimic the surface of the ocean floor and to the left side reef structures and paleo river channels can be identified.
Section of Grey's Reef scan
Close up of a section of the Chirp tracklines above. Features of geological importance are pointed out as well as features that are considered a product of the sytem itself, the “ghost” replicas of the seafloor surface.
